Why Double Knee Replacement Might be Best

The Wall Street Journal—October 12, 2015

The Wall Street Journal reports that more patients with two bad knees are opting for controversial procedures that replace both knees at the same time. According to the article, there is conflicting evidence to the risks and benefits of simultaneous bilateral knee replacement.

"We've learned a lot from years of data on who has complication issues," says Steven Haas, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The hospital avoids bilateral knee surgery in patients who have any type of heart disease, as well as those with a body mass index of 40 or more. Obese patients often have conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure than can complicate surgery. Typically, Dr. Haas says, he doesn’t perform bilateral surgery in patients over 80, and prefers not to do it in those over 75 unless they are in exceptional health.